Tagging Along with Twee Poppets Tag Along Tuesday! Wheee!
I hope everyone is having a lovely week!
White Dandelion Works
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Peek-a-Boo Toy Sacks
I’m finally getting around to posting about the toy bags that I made right before the move. 
I can’t remember which blog I saw them on originally, but the Peek-A-Boo Toy Sack Tutorial is by Make It Perfect.
I had been wanting to make some toy sacks for a while. I’d seen a tutorial for making bags with an iron-on picture… so if it was a bag of trains, you’d take a picture of the trains, print it out on special paper, Iron it onto your fabric and make a bag. Then, what if Little Bit changed his mind about the trains and only played with Legos. I’m stuck with a bag with a picture of a train. I really like the Peek-a-Boo sacks better because you can switch out toys infinitely and you can see what’s inside before dumping the bag out!
I confess I did buy fabric for this, even though I had plenty on hand that I could have used. I had been looking at some 30’s and 40’s reproduction print fabrics, but didn’t have a reason to buy any. So when this toy sack idea popped up they immediately came to mind. The fabric didn’t stay sitting around, that’s for sure. I didn’t have much time, so I only got to make two of them. I did use some white linen from the stash for the lining and I used some bias tape that was left over from a former quilt project…. so some stash and some new.
I just loved the little kitties on purple and the flying/parachuting bunnies on blue!
Some of my left over bias tape that I used for the drawstrings and casings.
These sacks hold a lot of stuff too! There are 2 sets of lacing beads in this bag and there is still room left over for more. :)
What was really nice it being able to grab a bag and take it anywhere without having to worry about dropping small pieces or having to sort through to find what we were looking for. When traveling this was really nice!These bags really make up quick and I need to make more. I also love the tip in the tutorial to use paperclips to “pin” the vinyl to the fabric for sewing. What a great idea!
Posted in fabric, Little Bit, toddler
2 Comments
Garden Gnome and Lamkins
The weather has turned a bit colder here in the past week and the sun goes down noticeably sooner. Little Bit’s after dinner romp in the garden therefor requires a hat of course! Here are just a few pictures of him in the garden, being my little garden gnome. His green stripy hat was made from a felted wool sweater and the ribbing is so stretchy that he’ll be able to wear this for several years… it actually fits me. I have a 3-12 month sized one available in my shop and it comes in hot pink stripes now too!
Gnome flower inspection is underway.
He loves playing with my old dolly stroller.
Digging up rocks and burying them again is a great gnome pastime. The poor bean plants have seen better days. We’ve been having nights temps in the 40s.
We’ll be getting a ton of tomatoes and onions from the garden very shortly. I bought some chiles today at the farmers market to make salsa!
In other news I finished another commission today. A friend wanted a little Lamkins for a gift and I was happy to oblige her. Made from the Funky Friends Factory Lamkins pattern with permission. Though the pattern says it is supposed to be 9 inches tall, Lamkins only came out to right at 8 inches. I don’t know what I did in error, but I guess I’ll figure it out when I make another one.
I just adore how cute she came out. Just perching on my hand and smiling away. Sweet little lamb.
Made from a cream colored merino wool and tan and pink cashmere upcycled sweaters, so soft! I need to find some nice ribbon to put around her neck.
My cousin, on seeing the pictures of this one, asked for one for her little boy. So more Lamkins are on the way!
There is one little Lamkins left in my shop… just waiting for a new home. :)
Posted in baby, cashmere, craftgawker, custom, Garden, Little Bit, Plushie, Reclaimed, repurpose, sewing, sweater, toddler, up-cycle, wool
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Baby It’s Cold Outside
The weather here has take a shift to the cold side, especially the mornings. My thermometer outside has been reading 55 at 8am. Brrrrr!
It certainly makes me want to sit in front a warm fire with a cup of tea and crochet or sew! And that’s what I’ve been doing, as much as I can with a 2 year old and pulling an 8 hour course load. Heh.
So here is what I’ve been working on… Baby Hats! All the sewn wool and cashmere hats are made from upcycled sweaters!
I loved this Fair Isle sweater and I knew it would look so cute made into this elf hat, pattern by ManiMina. It is soft lambswool outside and cashmere lined with braided cotton ties.
This Light gray cashmere is appliqued with a blue felted wool star.
I made one of these for my son and it is his absolute favorite! The ribbing is so stretchy that it will last for a long time! It reminds me of something out of a Dr. Seuss story. So fun!
Knotted Preemie and Newborn 100% cashmere.
Organic Cotton Newborn hats. So soft!
Lion Brand came out with this great Baby Wool! It is machine washable! I had to try it out and I’m pretty happy with the results.
I also made a new owl plushie! Red, White, and Blue All Over! He is made from cashmere, lambswool, wool roving and stuffed with bamboo fiberfill.
As always, my owls are inspired by the wonderful owl art of Quirky Dame.
All of these hats and the owl are available in my Artfire Studio: White Dandelion Works
From the Linen Closet
Since moving into Our new house, I’ve had to lay hands on just about everything we own. We have so many lovely things that never see the light of day. Some of those shouldn’t be exposed to prolonged light just because they are delicate, but others should get more use. I’ve vowed to use more of the “nice things” that we have and to enjoy them. After all, why have them if you don’t use them?
We spent a few years overseas in Germany and I acquired quite a few vintage and antique linens. I loved them, that’s why I have so many! I was especially attracted to the redwork and bluework embroidery pieces. I would pick through mounds of textiles to find that special piece that would make my heart sing.
Here is one of my favorites…
It is a German over-towel. They were used to cover up plain everyday towels. This one is linen and completely hand embroidered in blue with the following:
Ein helles Feuer
Ein freundlich gesicht,
Ein braves männlein mehr brauch ich nicht.
Ein braves männlein mehr brauch ich nicht.
Which in English means: 
A bright Fire
A friendly face
A good Husband, more I do not need.
Thank you Martin for a better translation than I was able to come up with on my own.
The embroidery is very even and detailed. It looks like she is cooking Knödelen which are dumplings made from potatoes or bread which have been poached. It makes be a little homesick for Germany.
I love the saying, I love the embroidery. It is perfect, no flaws, no holes! A perfect find for a rainy afternoon. I’m going to hang it in my kitchen, probably over a cabinet door, or maybe my backdoor. I want to enjoy these wonderful things and not keep them hidden away in a drawer.
Open one of those drawers in your house that you haven’t looked in for a while… and see what you find! Maybe you’ll find a cherished piece of lace that got shoved to the back of the drawer, or maybe just a simple thing that evokes a happy memory.
Posted in German, hand sewing, kitchen, Vintage
7 Comments
Travel Lap Desk
Quite a while back Chez Beeper Bebe did a post about a lap desk that she made for her son for traveling in the car. I think this is a great idea! Chez Beeper made hers based on MerMag’s Tutorial.
I finished this literally the night before getting on the road to drive to Washington from Kentucky… hence no post until now. I’m still unpacking and catching up online.
I made Little Bit’s very similarly to both MerMag’s and Chez Beepers.
I for the most part, I only used materials that I had on hand. The only thing I didn’t have on hand were some buttons that were flat and were cute with the fabrics I was using.
I started out with plain white linen. I followed the tutorial pretty closely and deviated where needed, like Chez Beeper.
I cut down an extra pillow for the pillow insert. It has a zipper, so I can take out some more of the polyfill if needed…. which it was.
I used a Pimpernel placemat instead of a masonite board. Pimpernel placemats are heat resistant and have a cork backing. I already had extras on hand and it was the perfect size! I doubled the white linen throughout, so the design on the placemat doesn’t show through.
I also made the closure with velcro, so I can open it to take out the pillow and placemat to wash the cover. I’ve already washed it a couple of times. :)
I had to use this cute and whimsical bug fabric! I’d bought it just because I thought it would be a cute kid fabric. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it until I started digging for fabric for this lap desk. I knew it would be perfect! All the other fabrics coordinate with the bug fabric in some way.
I made loads of pockets for Little Bit to put all his treasures and activities in. I liked Chez Beeper’s idea for a cup holder…. so I added that on one side. It also is a great holder for a cup of snacks!
Here is the other side. The little buggy fabric pocket is perfect for a box of raisins! I nice big handle for easy lugging.
A little applique B for a little personalization. :)
It fits very nicely on a chair or car seat.
The buttoned pockets on both sides are deep enough to hold a standard sized coloring book or notebook. Perfect for color wonder markers too!
This definitely helped keep Little Bit entertained on the 5 day drive across the country!
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend!
Posted in craft, fabric, Little Bit, repurpose, sewing, Stash busting
2 Comments
Sweet Pin Cushion
Looking for a way to use up those felted wool sweater scraps?
Better Homes and Gardens has a wonderful tutorial for making a sweet little cupcake pincushion!
I’ll probably give this a try sometime in the next week! I have a secret pal swap coming up and if my pal is a crafter I think this would be a perfect little secret pal gift!
Tuesday Tag-Along
Now that I’ve unpacked most of the house, I think we’ve just about reached normality. So I’m hopping along with Twee Poppets Tuesday Tag-Along again. I’ve already found a couple of blogs that are right up my alley. :) Whee.
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
Sew the Day 